Issues related to lack of time and prioritization of patching and vulnerabilities are increasingly exposing companies to possible cyberattacks
08Ivanti Inc., the automation platform that discovers, manages, protects and supports IT assets from the cloud to the edge, presented the results of a survey that finds that the majority (71%) of IT and security teams consider the patching process extremely complex, with implementation phases too long. In fact, 57% of respondents said that adopting remote working arrangements has increased the difficulty and volume of patch management.
The speed with which the business is developing has changed user expectations, generating new impacts on IT. Additionally, the rapid shift to remote working has helped accelerate the digital transformation by seven years. Assuming that, in the Everywhere Workplace, employees connect with various devices to access corporate networks, data and services while working from new and different locations, patching is a particularly challenging process. In fact, unpatched vulnerabilities remain the most exploited infiltration points for ransomware attacks, which have increased in terms of frequency and impact in companies of all sizes.
The WannaCry ransomware attack, which is estimated to have encrypted 200,000 computers in 150 countries, is a testament to the serious repercussions that can occur if patches are not applied promptly. Although the patch for the vulnerability exploited by the ransomware already existed, many organizations failed to implement it, and, even today after four years, two thirds of companies have not yet updated their systems. Ultimately, an increase of was recorded 53% of organizations affected by WannaCry ransomware between January and March 2021.
In order to reduce exposure to ransomware vulnerability, patching must consider resource management and business security issues. 62% of respondents noted that patching is not among their top priorities, while 60% say it causes workflow disruptions for users. Additionally, 61% of IT teams reported that company executives postpone or suspend maintenance at least once a quarter to keep their systems running smoothly. At the same time, threats continue to increase, taking advantage of the increase in sophisticated cybercriminals and the lack of visibility caused by the decentralization of the workforce.
As threat actors improve their tactics and exploit every vulnerability, especially those involving remote code execution, organizations are grappling with new risks at the attack surface, while also seeking new ways to accelerate patching and remediation efforts. IT and security teams simply can't respond fast enough; 53% believe that organizing and prioritizing critical vulnerabilities takes up most of their time, followed by adopting ineffective patching solutions (19%), testing patches (15%), and coordinating with other departments (10%). The multitude of patching challenges security teams face may explain why 49% of respondents say current enterprise patch management protocols fail to effectively mitigate risk.
Srinivas Mukkamala, Senior Vice President of Security Products at Ivanti, noted: "These findings come as IT and security teams are addressing the challenges of the Everywhere Workplace, where workforces are more distributed than ever and ransomware attacks are escalating and impacting economies and governments. Most enterprises do not have adequate bandwidth or resources to map active threats, such as those related to ransomware. The good news is that the combination of risk-based vulnerability prioritization and automated patch intelligence can easily detect vulnerabilities exploited vulnerabilities linked to ransomware. Unique patch reliability, IT and security teams can easily deploy patches, addressing the most common issues that put organizations at risk.”
Industry leaders, specialists and analysts recommend a risk-based approach to identify and prioritize vulnerabilities and then accelerate remediation. The White House recently released a note where it drives organizations to adopt a risk-based assessment strategy to promote patch management and enhance cybersecurity against ransomware. Furthermore, Gartner has called risk-based vulnerability management a priority security project that IT leaders need to focus on to drive value and reduce risk.
Ivanti interviewed over 500 IT and security professionals across North America and EMEA. TO this link you can download the complete report.
